Stumbling across cheap healthcare that meets all your needs can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Trawlling through website after website to undercover the well hidden information can seem like a never ending ordeal. With a little research, however, and some careful consideration this process doesn’t have to be as troublesome as you first thought. Follow the handy tips below to travel the road to the most affordable option for personal healthcare.
Research
There’s a huge range of different healthcare policies available and they will all vary. We’re all unique so being sure about what you need before you purchase will help you ensure you find the right policy for you. Under the Affordable Care Act even the most basic policies have to cover the following: Emergency room visits, Prenatal and postnatal care, mental health services and rehabilitation including occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The extent of cover in each area may vary from provider to provider so researching even the most affordable options is important. With basic plans and affordable prices comes the possibility of high excess payments so make sure you know how much you’ll need to fork out should the worst happen. If you’re still unsure about what cover you will need, call the Doctor in South Melbourne for some more personalised information.
Budget
Finding a policy that meets your needs is important. It is also important to choose a policy that is affordable and fits in with your other outgoings. Monthly premiums can be expensive so make sure you are able to pay them each month otherwise your cover may be cancelled. If you want to choose a more comprehensive policy maybe you could cut costs in other areas. Try reducing the cost of your phone bill or make some adjustments to your spending habits when out shopping.
Visit Healthcare.gov
Visiting healthcare.gov will present you with health insurance options within your residential state. It will also give you the premium rates and state subsidies should you be eligible to receive them. In Victoria you can choose between a bronze, silver or gold plan. You’ll need to compare the costs of each plan, but not just the monthly premiums. The bronze plans offer the cheapest monthly rates but only pay 60% of the medical fees compared to 90% on the gold plan. If you’re able to dig out your costs from the past few years this may be helpful too. By calculating your overall medical costs – monthly premiums and out of pocket payments you may realise that paying for a gold plan works out more cost effective in the long run.
Comparison Sites
Using comparison sites to compare prices and policies can be useful. You are able to input what you want and what your budget is, which means that all the presented policies are likely to meet your needs. Some comparison sites compare over 400 companies which makes it easy to see how much time you can save by using this online tool. This shortcut, however, comes with downfalls as purchasing healthcare directly from companies rather than through a comparison site is usually cheaper. These sites also don’t compare all companies prices. Although 400 companies sounds like a lot you’re still not getting the full picture.
Summary
When faced with the mammoth task of finding affordable healthcare considering the points above will help with the process. Taking time to research and compare prices, policies and companies will save you money and hassle in the long run.
*collaborative post
